Turning Tables
by jacklavigne
Summary: This story is the sequel to my other story, I Will Be. It's two years since Xena has seen or heard from Gabrielle until she gets a letter asking her to bring Eve to an Amazon festival. Will they be able to mend their broken relationship, or has it been too long.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: Xena, Gabrielle, Argo, Eve and all the other characters from Xena, The Warrior Priness don't belong to me. I'm just borrowing them for this story. I will return them once it has been finished, sadly. Alexandria is my own character that I have borrowed from my story, In Need Of A Friend. _

_Violence: The violence in this story will be very mild, if any at all. There are many curse words though. _

_Subtext: Subtext is maintext in this fanfiction. There will be graphic scenes of two women making love, and having sex. Along with a lot of heartbreak. If this bothers you, then you might want to stop reading this now, or you can open your mind and continue. _

_If you are under the age of eighteen, or this type of story is illegal where you live, then close stop reading now. Close the page. _

_Author's Note: This story is the sequel to my story I Will Be. I hope you enjoy it!_

_Comments are very much appreciated._

_If you wish to send them to me, my email is jacklavigne13 hotmail .com_

**Turning Tables**

**Part One**

_Close enough to start a war_

_All that I have is on the floor_

_God only knows what we're fighting for_

_All that say, you always say more_

_I can't keep up with your turning tables_

_Under your thumb, I can't breath_

_So, I won't let you close enough to hurt me_

_No, I won't ask you, for you to just desert me_

_I can't give you what you think you gave me_

_It's time to say good bye to turning tables_

It has been two years since I've last seen her. Two years since she lay on top of me in my bed, two years since I've touched her, tasted her, smelt her. I don't even remember what she smells like anymore. Can you imagine that? Not being able to remember what your soulmate smells like? To not be able to remember what it felt like to lay besides them? To hold their hand, kiss their lips, to be inside them? I can't even remember how any of it made me feel. I hardly even know what she looks like anymore.

All I remember is seeing the end in her emerald green eyes. The end of my life as I knew it and it was the end. Nothing was the same after she left, disspearing without a goodbye. I was swallowed by a darkness, a darkness that consumed me completely until I was only a shell of the woman that I used to be. I shut myself off so that I couldn't feel the mind numbing, heart crushing pain that she left me with. And now that I'm trying to remember, I can't.

I remember feeling hope when she left, hope that maybe she would return to me, to our daughter but she didn't. There were no visits, no letters and after a year of silence, I let go. I know it's hard to think of me, Xena, Warrior Princess, giving up but I had to. The pain that I felt was too much and I had to let her go, for both of our sakes. There were so many times that I packed my things and saddled Argo, ready to go and search for her but I always stopped myself. This is what she wanted. This is what Gabrielle wanted. I couldn't go barging back into her life, forcing her to live with me if that wasn't what she wanted. I loved her too much to do that to her. So, I let go.

And then a few weeks ago, I was sitting on my porch, Eve on my lap and a tall Amazon walked up the steps with a letter from her Queen. A letter from Gabrielle, asking to bring our daughter to an Amazon festival being held in her village. I didn't feel anything, not shock, happiness nor sadness. I felt nothing. I just told the the Amazon we would be there the night before the festival started.

And now here I am, sitting on top of Argo, making my way towards the Amazon village ruled by my ex lover. I glanced at our surroundings, looking through the trees for any hidden dangers and found none. Satisfied, I turned in my saddle to look at Eve, smiling as I saw her laughing at the butterfly flying over her head. She was almost three years old now, and by the Gods, she had grown. So much bigger than the baby that I could hold in my hands, she now stood up to my knee. Her long raven black hair flowed over her pale shoulders, framing her beautiful face and contrasting with her ocean blue eyes, indentical to mine.

My eyes wandered to the woman holding her: Alexandria. She sat on top of a beautiful black stallion, her tanned skin glowing in the bright sunlight. She held Eve in her strong arms, her muscles rippling as she pointed out things to entertain my daughter with. Her midnight blue eyes sparkled with laughter, full red lips open to reveal perfect white teeth. Dark red hair fell to just above her shoulders, surrounding a face of an angel. She was truly magnificent, more beautiful than Cleopatra or Helen of Troy. I had known Alexandria since I was a child growing up in Amphipolis. Our mothers had been close friends and we were brought up together. In our teenage years, we fell madly in love and I cherished her as much as I cherished my younger brother, Lyceus. And when Cortese came, she stood besides me and she fought and continued to fight beside me long after. She was my light in my darkest days and an angel to me. But eventually my darkness became too much, destroying all the light she had. I was never faithful to her and our fights were terrible, on more than one occasion they ended with me striking her and so she left me. I had truly never expected to see her again, and then she walked into my mothers tavern, just over a year ago.

Neither of us had expected anything to happen between us, especially me. I had no illusions to whom my heart belonged and when we had parted all those years ago, we had been at each others throats, threatening each other with death. But when she walked into the room after so many years, I realised how much I had truly missed her. She had been the one person in my dark past that had genuinely cared about me. And when we sat at the table in the furtherest corner of my mother's tavern, we discovered how much each other had changed and things progressed slowly from there. It started with visits to my home, then days we would spend together with Eve at the lake, until one night, she kissed me as we laid under the stars. And for the past year she has joined me in my bed and become a part of my life again.

All the feelings we had shared so long ago had come rushing back, and I could confidently say that I loved her. It would never be anything like I felt with Gabrielle, and I know nothing would be the same for her either but we worked well together and we were happy. She made me happy. And when I recieved the invitation from Gabrielle, she was actually excited to visit the Amazons. I had expected anger or jealousy but she took everything so well, understanding completely.

"Stop staring at me. Scan the forest, take in the beautiful sun, look at how gorgeous your daughter is. Just stop staring at me."

I threw my head back and laughed, a real, heartfelt laugh. She had always been able to make me laugh, even in the worst times.

"I'm sorry, honey," I grinned, my eyes twinkling. "I didn't realise it made you so uncomfortable."

"Me? Uncomfortable? I don't know the meaning of the word, let alone feel it," Alexandria replied with a smirk. "I actually expected you to be the uncomfortable one, considering we are only a candlemark away from the Amazon village, where your soulmate awaits your arrival."

"She is not awaiting _my _arrival," I drawled, turning back to face the road. "She is waiting for Eve."

"Ah, yes, Eve," the red head smiled, pulling the young girl tighter to her chest. "That I can understand. The Gods know how she kept away from this angel for so long."

"I don't know either," I said softly, trying to keep the hurt out of my voice and grimacing when it cracked.

I glanced out of the corner of my eye to find Alexandria gazing at me sympathetically. I watched as she ran her fingers through Eve's hair gently, humming a song that she used to sing to me to help me sleep without nightmares.

"You know that I don't expect to leave the Amazons with you by my side, Xena," Alexandria said, her voice barely above a whisper.

I turned towards her sharply, my eyes wide and my mouth hanging open. I snapped it shut, swallowing and narrowing my eyes slightly as I held her gaze.

"I expect to leave this village exactly the way I enter it, with you and Eve by my side."

Alexandria gave me a grin and a wink before cocking her head to the side as if listening to a whispered conversation.

"We just passed the Amazon borders," she smiled at me.

I turned towards the forest as several women dropped silently from the tree's, nodding at them as they stood before us. I recognised several of them immediately, watching in amusement as they glanced between my companion and I.

"Yes, we're on Amazon land now," I replied quietly.

_And closer to Gabrielle than I have been for two years. _

I could feel my heart start to beat faster as I followed the Amazon women deeper into the forest, Alexandria trailing silently behind me. This was going to be a long couple of days.


	2. Chapter 2

**Turning Tables**

**Part Two**

Two years is a very, very long time to think. Every morning, I wake up and start my daily routine. I get dressed, spar with my Amazons, work on giant stacks of paper work with my regent, eat dinner, return to my hut and sit at my desk to write you a letter that I'll never send and then I go to bed. And in every second of every routine day, I never stop thinking about you.

I don't want to think about you and yet, I get so scared everytime I forget an important detail. Like the way you look when you wake up in the morning, how you smell after a battle, the way you feel underneath me as we make love. I'm starting to forget and it scares me. So I changed my routine and I wrote you a letter and for the first time in two years, I sent it.

At the beginning, as I rode out of your home town of Amphipolis, I wanted to forget you. I didn't want to remember the way you felt or tasted. But as the years went by and I thought about it more and more, I realised that I did want to remember. I want to remember everything about you. How could I possibly want to forget you? You're the world, my world and it's never going to change. We were made for each other and it's taken me two years to figure it out.

I wonder if it's taken too long, if I've taken too long. Have you moved on? Have you found someone else to share your bed? The thought of you spending your life with anyone else breaks my heart. But I know there's always the possibility and I'm scared. I was so stupid, leaving you with nothing. No hope, nothing to hold onto that might make you want to hold onto me. And what makes me feel worse is that I was wrong.

Not completely wrong, but wrong enough to make my heart ache. You hurt me by being unfaithful, so many times that I've lost count. But I haven't always been completely faithful to you either, have I?

You loved me from the beginning, as much as I loved you. And though you were cold at the start and completely unaffectionate, I was even worse. I fell for every boy in every new village that we passed and when our feelings started to bloom for each other, I ruined everything. I got married. I married Perdicas and I knew that it killed you. I could see the sadness in your eyes when I turned to look back at you before leaving the temple with my new husband but I didn't think twice about it. I just left you in the middle of the cold stone room, alone once more.

And I can't blame you for not being able to trust me or my love for you. Because I've hurt you as much as you've hurt me. We hurt each other and now we're wasting time that we should be spending together, and that hurts even more than you being unfaithful. It's killing me to know that I may have lost my chance to spend my life with my soulmate.

I look up as our old friend Solari enters my hut, looking at me sadly from the doorway.

"She's here?" I ask, standing up from my desk and recieving a nod in return.

"She's not alone, is she?" My voice trembles as I reach the door, looking out into the village that was preparing for the festival tomorrow.

"No, she's not alone," Solari replied quietly, gazing at her Queen sympathetically.

"I waited too long."

My heart was breaking as I watched you gallop through the gates of the Amazon village, sitting proudly on Argo. You looked so beautiful, your raven hair flowing over your shoulders, longer than I remember. I watched as your pale eyes roamed over the village, scanning for me and our eyes met. It was electric, as always. I felt the shivers race up my spine as I held your gaze, before plastering a fake smile on my face.

My eyes wandered to the woman who entered the village behind you and I felt like I'd been kicked in the chest. The woman must have been a Goddess, she was unbelievably stunning. Her short dark red hair flowing around her face and falling into blue eyes that looked like the night sky. Tanned, high cheek bones and beautiful red lips that opened to reveal a smile that was more blinding than the sun. I was defeated.

"Let's go greet our guests, shall we, Solari?"

My head scout nodded at me and we left the comfort of my hut and walked towards the woman that owned my heart and her new partner.


	3. Chapter 3

_Authors Note: Beware, this is another short chapter! But, after this one, they will be getting longer. I'm so glad you guys enjoy it so far and I'm heaps thankful for all the feedback I've been getting. I really appreciate the reviews and all the emails I've recieved, and I'd love for them to continue. So if you want to email me about this story, my email address is jacklavigne13 hotmail .com_

_Enjoy!_

**Turning Tables**

**Chapter Three**

I rode through the gates of the Amazon Village, my heart bursting with so many emotions that I hadn't felt in what feels like a lifetime. I could feel her the second we entered, her gaze hotter than the sun blazing above us, burning into my heated skin. I scanned the village, my eyes roaming over hundreds of faces until I saw her, standing in the doorway of the Queen's hut.

She was exactly how I remembered her, from what I could remember of her. Short blonde hair falling around her tanned face. Beautiful ocean green eyes gazing up at me, a small smile playing on her full lips. Her body was as strong as ever, hard muscles rippling with every step she took towards me. I couldn't tear my eyes away from her.

Soft laughter from behind me brought me out of my trance like state and I threw a cold glare over my shoulder to Alexandria who just smiled at me brilliantly. I watched as she threw her long tanned leg over her saddle before sliding off gracefully, holding Eve in her arms before I did the same. I watched the crowd part for their Queen who walked towards us regally, a completely fake smile plastered to her beautiful face.

In mere moments, she stood before me and her smile became more real with every second that passed. She looked at me from top to bottom before grinning and without a word she pulled me into her arms. Cautiously, I wrapped my arms around her waist, not expecting this display of affection. I could practically feel Alexandria's silent laughter as the embrace lasted longer than a friendly hug should.

Finally, Gabrielle pulled back, holding my arms as she looked up at me with a smile. "By the Gods, Xena, it's been so long."

"It has," I reply with a small smile as I look down at her, forgetting the world around us as I gazed into emerald eyes.

Shaking my head with a soft laugh, I gave the bard another smile before turning towards Alexandria and Eve, both of which were watching us curiously. I raised an eyebrow at my red headed lover who returned my look, her deep blue eyes sparkling with laughter.

"Gabrielle, this is my friend, Alexandria," I felt the bard tense at my words and I couldn't help the smirk that slid onto my lips. "And of course, you remember Eve."

"Of course I remember Evie," Gabrielle replied with a grin, walking towards Alexandria who held my daughter in her arms still. "Hey baby, do you remember me?"

Eve gazed at the small blonde curiously before looking up at Alexandria for an explaination on who the bard was. "This is Gabrielle, Eve. The Amazon Queen your mom tells you stories about, remember? The woman that talked a cyclops out of eating her for breakfast. You love her."

Eve smiled, resting her hand against Alexandria's smiling face before turning back towards Gabrielle and holding out her arms. I watched as my lover transfered my daughter into the bard's arms with a small smile.

"You're Mom's friend," Eve grinned, patting Gabrielle's cheek.

"Yeah, honey, I'm your mom's friend," Gabrielle replied with a smile before turning to Alexandria and extending her arm which the red headed woman took with a smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Alexandria. Welcome to the Amazon Nation."

"The pleasure's all mine, Queen Gabrielle," Alexandria replied with a grin.

"We've made up a room for you both, to share I assume?" Gabrielle said, the ever graceful host as she glanced between us.

I opened my mouth to speak but Alexandria spoke first.

"If you don't mind, could we have seperate rooms?" Alexandria asked to my suprise, her face emotionless.

Gabrielle looked towards me, her face as shocked as I'm sure mine was before nodding towards an Amazon standing close by. "Could you make up another room for our guest here?"

"Of course, my Queen," the Amazon replied before hurrying off.

I tried to catch Alexandria eyes but she skillfully avoided looking towards me, instead focusing on the toddler in Gabrielle's arms. What was this woman up to? Was she ashamed to be in a relationship with me or did she fear upsetting Gabrielle? I stood there in silence as two of the most important women in my life talked about my daughter.

Another Amazon came and spoke into Gabrielle's ear and I watched as the blonde carefully put Eve back in Alexandria's arms before turning towards me. "I've got some business I need to take care of. You know where the guest huts are, there are two ready for you now. Hopefully I'll be able to speak to you more later."

"Of course," I nodded with a smile.

"Brilliant," Gabrielle said before turning away without another word, making her way towards the council hut.

I turned towards Alexandria, my eyebrow raised but she continued to avert her eyes.

"Come on, you," I growled, causing her to look up at me finally with a small smirk. "We have seperate rooms awaiting us."


	4. Chapter 4

**Turning Tables**

**Chapter Four**

I laid down on the soft bed in exhaustion, my legs hanging over the edge as I sighed. I had finally put Eve to sleep after unpacking all the things I'd need for the next few days and now I let my mind wander, thinking over the last few hours I'd spent in the Amazon village. I was confused to say at the least. The welcome I got from Gabrielle unnerved me, the way she held me tightly in her arms as if she was afraid I'd dissapear if she let go. It made me angry to think about it, because I never dissapeared: that was her job. She was the one that dissapeared from my life. I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath of air to calm myself. I didn't want to think about that anymore, I have other more important things to think about.

Like Alexandria for instance.

Gods, that woman infuriated me. She was so unpredictable and it scared me, never knowing what she was going to do next. She had asked for seperate rooms which terrified me more than anything. Had she changed her thoughts on our relationship now that she'd met Gabrielle? I shook the thought from my head, it was unheard of for Alexandria to back down to anyone, even an Amazon Queen. But why else would she make the decision? Was she trying to be polite? Or did she not want to hurt Gabrielle's feelings by sharing a bed with me in her village. These thoughts were more likely because I knew how considerate Alexandria was of other peoples feelings. But she never hid who she was from anyone, she might downplay it, but she never hid. So, why was she hiding now?

Speaking of the devil, I could hear her soft footsteps as she walked towards my hut. So quietly that if I was anyone else I wouldn't be able to hear it, she opened the door to my hut and stepped inside. Our eyes met and I caught an emotion in the depths of her deep blue eyes, but I couldn't distinguish it. She smiled at me, glancing towards Eve in her cot before walking towards me silently. She laid on her side next to me and I glared at her.

"What?" She asked innocently, fluttering her eyelashes.

"Why?" I whispered, my brow furrowing. "Why did you ask for seperate rooms? Are you ashamed to be with me?"

She laughed softly, the sound like music to my ears as she rested her hand on my chest. "You know I'm not ashamed of you, Xena."

"Then why?" I persisted, my voice raising slightly. "Why don't you want to share a hut with me? Has this got to do with Gabrielle? Or does it go deeper than that?"

Alexandria sighed, sitting up and running her fingers through her short hair. She looked around the room, almost nervously before her eyes fell on my daughter in the corner.

"We need to be quiet," she said softly, looking down at me. "Eve is asleep."

"Don't try to change the subject, Alexandria," I growled, sitting up beside her. "Tell me why."

"Because," she exclaimed, throwing up her hands. "Because, I'm not Eve's mother, I'm not an Amazon Queen and I'm certainly not your soulmate."

I stared at her in disbelief, my eyes wide and my mouth agape. "What?"

"You and I, Xena, we're great together," she said, standing up and pacing. I couldn't help but find it cute, the way her hands moved as she spoke. "Everything is perfect, almost. The home we have is perfect, Eve is perfect, our lovemaking. Well, our lovemaking is something else altogether."

She grinned at me, giving me a small wink before continuing.

"But we're not made for each other, Xena," she said softly, looking away from me. "Our bodies fit together and there's passion, so much passion between us. I know your past and you know mine and we accept each other. It's just comfortable, what we have. It's the kind of relationship you get into while waiting for the real thing to come along. Except, you've already found your real thing."

I could feel the very familiar anger rising up inside of me with every word she said. This wasn't what I wanted to hear from her. Is this what she thought of the last year we spent together? That we were just comfortable? I wasn't going to lie to myself, I know that Gabrielle is my soulmate. I know that I loved her, maybe still do love her. But sometimes, love isn't enough. There was so much pain in our history, so much betrayl and hurt and I don't want to go back to that. I needed to make Alexandria understand.

"No," I said, standing up and grabbing Alexandria's arm to stop her from pacing. "No, you don't get to say that to me."

"Xena," she started, but I cut her off.

"No. We work. You and I, we work together," I said softly, looking into her eyes. "We trust each other and I need that. You have faith in me. Gabrielle doesn't trust me and she doesn't have faith in me like you do, at least not anymore. What happened between Gabrielle and I was beautiful, but it was terrible. We hurt each other, too much to return to it again, can't you see that?"

"Oh really?" I could hear the edge in Alexandria's voice and I took a step away from her in confusion. "You hurt each other? You fucking hurt each other. Really, Xena? The pain you caused each other was nothing to the pain you and I caused each other. The only difference is that you and I had time apart and we changed. Well, you know what? You and Gabrielle have had time apart and you both changed. So, what is the difference?"

"I'm not afraid with you!" I yelled, my anger blazing now. Why couldn't she understand? "I don't wake up every morning with you, scared that you'll be gone! I don't have to be worried everytime I go away because I know when I come back, you'll be sitting on the porch we built together, waiting for me to come home with Eve in your lap. I don't have to be scared that every time I get a little angry or make a mistake that you will have had enough, because you know me. You've seen me at my very worst and you still only always see the best."

"Because we're comfortable!" Alexandria screamed back, her eyes shining with tears. Tears of sadness or anger, I don't know. "That's what I'm saying, Xena. You're comfortable with me."

"I love you!" I replied, shocking myself and her. She stared at me, a stray tear slipping down her cheek as she opened her mouth to speak but we stopped as we heard the front door squeak.

We both turned to the door and I exhaled the breath I hadn't realised I'd been holding as I saw Gabrielle standing there. Her eyes were wide as she glanced between us, licking her lips nervously.

"Saved by the bell," Alexandria muttered under her breath and I glanced towards her sharply.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt," Gabrielle said, still standing in the doorway. "I did knock. Is there something wrong?"

"No, of course not," Alexandria replied with a reassuring smile. "Xena and I were just discussing how comfortable the bed's were. Nice, comfortable beds, right Xena?"

I grunted in reply, looking at my daughter in wonder as she continued to sleep peacefully. The girl could sleep through a war, just like Gabrielle. I was confused and angry and the last person I wanted to see right now was standing in my doorway, in all her perfect, beautiful glory. I listened as she laughed softly, making some comment about the bed while I cursed her for interrupting Alexandria's next words. The words that would make or break our relationship.

"Would you mind giving me a tour of the village?" Alexandria asked Gabrielle, causing my anger to rise even higher.

"Of course," Gabrielle replied, glancing towards me. She could see I wasn't happy with her answer and it delighted her. "Come on, we'll go now before dinner is served."

I watched as Alexandria nodded before Gabrielle retreated from the hut, leaving us alone once more. The silence was deafening as we stared at each other, my eyes pleading for her to stay, her eyes begging me to let her go. My heart was breaking.

"Don't do this," I whispered as I sat on the edge of the bed, looking up at her. "Alexandria, please."

"I'm not doing anything," she replied softly as she walked towards me, gently running her fingers through my hair. "I'm just going for a walk."

I pressed my face into her abdomen, wrapping my arms around her waist as she gently caressed my hair. She smelt like leather with the scent of my daughter still lingering on her clothes, along with her own natural smell that was just Alexandria. I couldn't describe the way she smelt, but it was familiar and comforting. It was what I needed.

_It's comfortable._

I frowned, pulling back and looking up at her, closing my eyes as she gently caressed my cheek before leaning down and brushing her lips against mine.

"I love you too, Xena," she whispered softly against my lips and I smiled, opening my eyes to look into her dark blue orbs. "I want you to think about this though, okay? I know you think you need me, but do you actually want me? Am I just replacing someone else? Someone that you're too scared to want anymore, because they hurt you? Because if so, then I can't do this anymore. Once upon a time, maybe I could have, and in our past, I did do it. I stayed with you even though I knew there was someone else, many someone else's in fact. But now, I respect myself, and even more importantly Xena, I respect you. If you think there's a chance that you and Gabrielle could be together again, that you could love and trust each other once more, then you need to take that chance. Because I'm not your soulmate, she is. You and I could have a wonderful life together, an amazing life, but with her, you would be complete."

I opened my mouth to speak, but she silenced me with her fingers on my lips. "Just think about it, okay?"

She waited until I gave her a small nod before leaning down and giving me a soft kiss. After giving me a small smile, she left, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

_That woman really does infuriate me, _I thought to myself as I laid back on the bed once more.


	5. Chapter 5

**Turning Tables**

**Chapter Five**

The tour of the Amazon village lasted just over a candlemark, consisting mainly of small talk between the two women. Glancing up at the red headed woman, Gabrielle held back the questions she desperately wanted to ask. She didn't want to make the woman uncomfortable, which suprised the small blonde. She'd expected to feel anger and jealousy towards Alexandria, but she didn't. Instead, she felt comfortable around her, like they'd known each other for years. She found herself liking her more and more with every second that passed. Alexandria was unbelievably beautiful but she was also intelligent and funny and Gabrielle found herself laughing or smiling at everything the woman said.

"You are an amazing woman, Alexandria," Gabrielle grinned at the red head as they walked along side a small river not far from the village. "I can see why Xena loves you."

"You're not so bad yourself," Alexandria replied with a smile, nudging her hip against the small blonde's playfully.

"Thanks," The bard smirked, looking up into Alexandria's twinkling blue eyes. She bit her lip as she decided to ask the question she'd been wondering since the woman entered her village. "So, how did you and Xena meet?"

"I was waiting for this," Alexandria chuckled.

"You don't have to answer," Gabrielle replied quickly. "I know it's none of my business."

"No, it's fine, really," Alexandria laughed, waving her off. "Xena and I met a long time ago. We actually grew up together."

"Really? She never spoke to me about you," The bard said softly, a small frown on her face. "But then again, Xena's never been one for talking."

"I'm not suprised to be honest," Alexandria replied. "Xena hasn't been one who likes to talk about painful things, even when we were young, and our relationship was painful."

"So, you two grew up together in Amphipolis?" Gabrielle prodded.

"Yeah, our mother's were friends and we lived right next door to each other, so we didn't really have a choice," The red headed woman laughed, her eyes glazing over at the memory. "We were different though, at the beginning. She was a warrior, even as a child, always playing soldiers with her brothers, while I spent most of my time in the village. It wasn't until we were fifteen and she asked me to the Solstice dance when I finally saw her in a different light. Ever since that day, we were inseperable and completely in love. And then Corteze came."

Gabrielle took the red headed woman's hand, squeezing it gently as Alexandria eyes shone with unshed tears. Even after all these years, the memories of her first battle still haunted the red headed woman. Alexandria smiled gratefully at the blonde, taking a deep breath before continuing her story.

"Xena started an army to protect the village and I joined her. I was suprisingly good with a sword, even though I'd never touched one in my life, it just came naturally to me. As you know, the battle was fierce and we lost a lot of people, including Xena's brother Lyceus and it changed Xena. She became cold and ruthless and our relationship changed with her, but I never left. I followed her around the world as her second in command for years, hoping that maybe one day she'd stop fighting but it never came. She was unfaithful so many times that I lost count and she went into jealous rages everytime someone would show me the slightest bit of attention. In the end, we were at each other's throats and I couldn't take it anymore, so I walked away."

Alexandria shrugged, shaking her head as she looked up at the sky, willing the tears not to fall. Gabrielle squeezed her hand, gazing at the woman sadly. The bard couldn't help but find the similarities in their relationships. The unfaithfulness, the jealousy and the ending: both her and Alexandria had walked away. The only difference now was that Alexandria had returned to try again with Xena while she had continued to keep her distance, despite the fact she still desperately loved the warrior. And to make matters worse, Xena had treated Alexandria a lot worse than she'd treated the small blonde, but it was Alexandria that had been able to forgive Xena and Gabrielle hadn't.

"Anyway," Alexandria continued, briskly wiping her tears away. "About three of four years later, I heard she met Hercules and changed her ways before starting to travel around Greece with a bard. I thought about seeking her out for years, but I never did. And then, almost two years ago now, I was travelling through Amphipolis for supplies after returning from Rome and I saw Xena in her mother's tavern. We talked and things just kind of picked up from there."

Alexandria smiled at the blonde before sitting down on the ground, leaning back on her elbows as Gabrielle sat down cross legged beside her. The two women sat quietly as they gazed at the river in front of them, deep in their own thoughts.

"She still loves you, you know," Alexandria said suddenly, breaking the comfortable silence.

"Excuse me?" Gabrielle choked out, looking down at the red headed woman in disbelief.

"She still loves you," Alexandria laughed as she looked up at the blonde. "Even if she refuses to admit it to anyone, including herself, it's the truth."

"B-but," The bard stuttered, her heart thumping painfully in her chest. "But you two, you're together, aren't you?"

"Yes, Xena and I are together but we're just comfortable," Alexandria shrugged, picking up a blade of grass and twirling it between her fingers.

"Comfortable? Can you give me more of an explaination than that?" Gabrielle asked, her brow furrowed.

"I'll try and explain it to you, like I _attempted _to explain it to her earlier," Alexandria chuckled, closing her eyes as she tried to think of the right words. "Xena and I, we know each other's pasts, we know everything about each other, the bad and the good. It makes things easy between us, comfortable, because we have nothing to hide from one another. And Xena and I, we're the same, it's why we work so well together."

"If you work so well, then what's the problem?" Gabrielle interrupted.

"There is no problem," Alexandria said quietly. "Except that she loves you."

"Why do you think that she loves me?" The blonde asked.

"Because, you're her soulmate," Alexandria replied, keeping her face as neutral as possible. It wasn't easy because despite the fact she wanted the warrior to be happy, even if it meant not being with her, it hurt her to think of Xena with someone else. "And before you say it, I know. I know that you two had a lot of problems in your relationship. I know that you hurt each other, but, you are air, Gabrielle. You're her Air."

"Her Air?" Gabrielle replied in confusion as she looked down at the red headed woman.

"Yes, her Air. That's what I'm trying to explain. Xena and I work, yes. We're good together and we always have been, despite everything because we're both Fire. We're both passionate, confident, agressive and strong; we're both Fire," Alexandria shrugged with a small smile. "It's the reason we work, but it's also the reason we don't. We blaze together, but eventually our fire will flicker and die because for a fire to continue to burn, it needs air, it needs oxygen to survive. You're Xena's Air, Gabrielle, you're her oxygen. You soothe her with your compassion and your love. You are what keeps her alight and what raises her so high. Xena can't survive without you, Gabrielle. You're supposed to be together."

"Why are you telling me this?" Gabrielle asked, her voice soft as she gazed at the red headed woman thoughtfully.

"Because I love her." Alexandria replied with a sad smile.


	6. Chapter 6

_Authors Note: Hey guys! I know it's been forever since I've updated this story, and I'm sorry. I've just worked eight days in a row, and this is my first day off! It's been crazy. I have quite a few days off now so the next chapter should be updated shortly. I've loved the comments and emails I've received, as always, and I hope they continue. If you want to email me, my email is jacklavigne13 hotmail .com_

_Enjoy!_

**Turning Tables**

**Chapter Six**

Xena sat down quietly in the dining hall, deep in her thoughts. The Queen and her partner, Alexandria, had been on their 'tour' for over a candlemark now. She was starting to get worried, wondering why they had been gone for so long and what they were talking about. She knew Gabrielle would be on her best behaviour but it was Alexandria she was worried about. The red headed woman was brutally honest, especially when it came to matters of the heart, and she was up to something. She'd been acting strange since they entered the Amazon village and the talk they had before she left, left Xena feeling unsure as to where their relationship was going. It seemed that they both wanted different things.

_Or different people, _Xena thought with a frown.

She had done what Alexandria had asked of her and thought over their conversation. Was their relationship just a comfortable diversion? Was Alexandria just someone to keep her mind off of Gabrielle? She couldn't deny that she still had feelings for the Amazon queen, but she hated to think of Alexandria like that. She didn't want to think that she was just using her lover to get over someone else.

_Goddamn her, _Xena thought angrily. _Why did she have to put all these thoughts in my mind? Why did we have to come to this god forsaken village? Everything was perfect before I got that letter. I loved Alexandria, she loved me and we were happy. Why am I doubting everything now?_

So deep in her musings, she didn't notice when her lover and the blonde bard entered the room. She started when she felt a warm hand rest lightly on her shoulder, before looking up into Alexandria's midnight blue eyes.

"Did I scare you?" Alexandria teased, her eyes twinkling as she sat down besides the warrior.

"Of course not," Xena replied with smile. "I was just thinking."

Alexandria tilted her head as she regarded the dark haired woman before smiling and turning to towards the Queen who sat across from her. "We scared her."

Gabrielle laughed as the red headed woman winked at the warrior. Xena just rolled her eyes with a grin, playing with her food on the plate in front of her.

"You two were gone for a while," Xena said, her voice emotionless. "Have a nice tour?"

"It was brilliant," Alexandria replied with a bright smile as she took a sip of ale that had been placed before her. "I didn't realise we'd been gone for so long. I guess we just lost track of time."

"What did you two talk about?" Xena asked, trying to keep her voice as nochalant as possible.

"Amazon stuff," Gabrielle replied with a shrug.

"And the elements," Alexandria said with a mischevious grin. "You know, fire and air. How fire is strong and passionate but without air, it flickers and dies."

Xena glanced between the two women suspiciously, trying to find the hidden meaning underneath Alexandria's words. "Uh huh."

"Okay," Alexandria grinned, patting Xena on the shoulder as she stood up. "I'm going to get something to eat. You want anything, Gabrielle?"

"Yes, please," Gabrielle replied, smiling at the red head. "A little bit of everything?"

"A lot of everything," Xena muttered under her breath, earning a smack on the back of her head from her lover.

Alexandria nodded at the Amazon queen, giving Xena's shoulder a gentle squeeze before leaving the two women in an awkward silence. Xena continued to play with her food, unsure of what to say to the bard that she hadn't seen in so long. She felt her heart beating furiously in her chest as she glanced up at the blonde, who was still watching her partner as she made her way to the tables of food.

"She's a wonderful woman," Gabrielle said, breaking the silence. "Amazing, actually."

"She is," Xena nodded, turning her head to look at Alexandria. She smiled as she watched the woman talking to a table of Amazons, who all seemed entraced by the red headed woman's beauty. "She truly is."

"You both seem really happy together," Gabrielle said softly, looking down at her mug of cider. "I'm really happy you found someone."

"Are you?" Xena asked abrubtly, causing the blonde to look up at her in shock, her ocean green eyes wide.

"Of course I am, Xena," Gabrielle said quietly. "I'm glad you're happy."

Xena heard the sincerity in the bard's words, but as she searched her emerald orbs, she found sadness lurking in the depths.

"Have you found someone?" Xena asked emotionlessly, her stoic warrior mask firmly in place. "Are you happy?"

Gabrielle laughed softly, gazing around the dining hut until her eyes landed on a dark Amazon warrior, a few tables away. The woman was watching them curiously, her head tilted to the side, a dark eyebrow raised as she returned Gabrielle gaze. "Yes, I have a bedmate."

"A bedmate?" Xena questioned, her brow furrowed. She turned in her seat, following the bard's gaze and found a pair of blue eyes staring back at her. The Amazon was beautiful, long dark hair flowing over broad tanned shoulders. Xena smirked to herself, seeing the startling resemblance between herself an the Amazon, before turning back to Gabrielle. "I see."

Gabrielle raised an eyebrow at the warrior, getting a grin in return before leaning over a swatting Xena's arm. "Oh shush."

Xena laughed, though her heart was pounding in her chest at the bard's brief touch on her arm. They fell into a comfortable silence as they both sipped their drinks, waiting for Alexandria to return. It was Gabrielle's voice broke the silence after a few moments.

"I've missed you," Gabrielle all but whispered, looking at the warrior with a sad smile.

Xena looked up at her ex lover, gazing at the woman thoughtfully before giving a small nod. "I've missed you too, Gabrielle."

Their eyes locked, sky blue gazing into emerald green, their emotions that had been hidden for so long passing through their gaze. Gabrielle leaned across the table, taking Xena's hand and gently squeezing it. She ran her thumb lightly over Xena's tanned skin, amazed at the softness of the woman's hands, despite the amount of strength they possessed. Xena swallowed as her heart started to race, her skin tingling where the bard caressed her. She realised the bard would be able to feel her pulse and hurriedly she pulled her hand away, ignoring the sad look that flashed across Gabrielle's face. At that moment, Alexandria returned, setting the plates on the table with a bright smile that didn't meet her eyes.

"Excuse me," Xena said, her voice cracking as she stood up quickly from the table. "I'm going to go check on Eve."

The dark haired woman strode away from the table, stumbling in her hurry to leave as Alexandria and Gabrielle watching her go. With a soft sigh, Alexandria turned back towards the Queen, plastering a smile on her face. "So, tell me more about this festival."


	7. Chapter 7

**Turning Tables**

**Chapter Seven**

Xena found herself once again sitting on the edge of her bed, head resting in her hands, her heart aching painfully in her chest. She had returned to her hut over two candlemarks ago, and it was now quite late. She had fed Eve, bathed her and put her to bed early, knowing that her daughter would need her energy for the festival tomorrow. She was now arguing with herself as to whether she should wake her daughter or not, so that maybe she could distract herself from her thoughts.

_Stop being selfish, _Xena thought to herself in disgust. _It's not Evie's fault that you're in this mess, let the girl sleep. _

She sighed softly as she gently massaged her temples, willing her throbbing headache to disappear. She felt like she'd spent the day battling her way through Tartarus, instead of spending the last few hours in the Amazon village. She was emotionally and physically exhausted. Her head ached, her muscles ached and her heart ached. Being in this village with Alexandria _and _Gabrielle she decided, was worse than Hell.

_What am I going to do?_ The dark haired woman thought miserably. She desperately wished that Alexandria was there with her, to talk her through this problem like she had with all the others over the last year. Except this time, she was a part of the problem.

As if the red headed woman had been listening to her thoughts, Xena heard a soft knock on her door. "Come in."

She looked up as the door opened, expecting to find Alexandria gazing back at her lovingingly, instead, it was Gabrielle.

_Fuck._

Xena sat up straight, her muscles tensed as she stared at the blonde who stood nervously in the doorway of her hut. She watched silently as Gabrielle closed the door before walking towards her.

"Hey," Gabrielle said with a smile, looking around the room. "I thought I'd come and say goodnight."

Xena raised an eyebrow at the Amazon Queen, her body tensing unconciously as the woman stopped directly in front of her. She let her eyes roam over the body she knew so well, feeling her heart beat quicken as she looked at the muscular body of her ex lover. She felt a pang of guilt as she looked up into Gabrielle's emerald green eyes, knowing that she was betraying her lover just by looking at this woman.

"Well, goodnight," She managed to choke out as she tore her eyes away from her ex lover.

"Xena," Gabrielle whispered, gently resting her hand on the dark haired woman's cheek until the pale blue eyes met hers once more. "Goodnight."

Xena's heart thudded painfully in her chest as Gabrielle leant down towards her, her eyes fluttering shut as the bard pressed a soft kiss to the corner of her mouth. She was overcome with desire as the soft lips brushed barely over her own and without a thought, she turned her head and captured Gabrielle's lips in a kiss.

Every rational thought left Xena's head as she felt Gabrielle moan softly into her mouth, causing her passion and desire to overwhelm her. She pulled the bard down and onto her lap, wrapping her arms tightly around Gabrielle's lithe body and pulling her closer. She groaned as Gabrielle wrapped her muscular legs around her waist, pushing her centre against her abdomen. She could only imagine the wetness that was drenching her leathers.

Their tongue's danced passionately as hands roamed over soft skin and hard muscles, desperately wanting more. Xena whimpered softly into the kiss as she tangled her fingers in her companion's short hair, pulling her impossibly closer. The sound of a door banging shut somewhere in the village pulled Xena out of her passion filled haze, her eyes flying open in horror.

With a gasp, Xena pulled away, looking into Gabrielle's eyes, darkened with desire. Dark green eyes, instead of the dark blue eyes of her lover. As she stared at the bard, Gabrielle seemed to come to the same realisation and hurriedly climbed off Xena's tense body.

"Oh fuck," Gabrielle repeated like a mantra, running her fingers through her short blonde hair. "Oh fuck!"

Xena stood up quickly, grabbing Gabrielle's arms to stop her pacing. "You can't tell Alex," she begged, staring into the ocean green eyes of her ex lover. "Please."

"Xena!" Gabrielle exclaimed, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"Please," Xena pleaded, her eyes welling with tears as she was overcome with guilt. But Gods, it had felt so right to be kissing Gabrielle. As she gazed into the bard's eyes, she could feel herself leaning down to kiss the woman again.

_No! _Her mind shouted. _Don't do this, Xena. Think of Alexandria. Think of the woman that your daughter loves like a mother. Think of the woman that brought you back to life after Gabrielle left you. You swore to yourself that you'd never be unfaithful again after Gabrielle left you, but look at you now. Alexandria deserves better than this. _

She pulled back abrubtly from the bard, a pained expression on her face as she turned away from Gabrielle.

"You need to leave."

"Xena," Gabrielle whispered, her heart aching. She reached out to the woman she loved, more than her own life and almost sobbed as the woman flinched under her touch.

"Please, Gabrielle," Xena begged again, the tears spilling from her eyes and rolling down her cheeks. "Please, just go."

Everything was silent until Xena heard Gabrielle's soft footsteps, followed by the door opening and closing behind her as she left. Squeezing her eyes shut, Xena hurriedly wiped away her tears, cursing herself for betraying her lover.

_She deserves so much better than this._

With a heavy sigh and an even heavier heart, Xena crawled into bed, her throbbing headache returning to torture her once more. As she fell asleep, she was haunted by dreams of sad midnight blue eyes.


	8. Chapter 8

**Turning Tables**

**Chapter Eight**

Xena awoke in the middle of the night to the sound of her hut door opening quietly. She squeezed her eyes closed, remember the last time this happened, over two years ago. _To Tartarus with you, Gabrielle, _she thought to herself angrily as she heard the soft footsteps cross the room. Why couldn't this woman just listen to her? Didn't she understand that she had a lover? A woman that she cared for deeply. She didn't want to hurt Alexandria, but as she heard Gabrielle stop besides her bed, she knew she wouldn't be able to resist her. She knew, despite everything, that she still loved her.

"Gabrielle, please," She whispered, her voice cracking. She didn't dare open her eyes, knowing she'd be lost if she gazed into those emerald green orbs that she loved so much. She desperately hoped that Gabrielle could hear the plea in her voice, whether it was to leave, or to join her, Xena didn't know.

"Well, that wasn't what I expected." A low voice rumbled, full of hurt.

Xena's eyes flew open, looking up at the woman that was bathed in moonlight beside her bed. It wasn't Gabrielle, as she had expected.

"Alexandria," Xena choked out, sitting up quickly as her lover stepped away from the bed, crossing her muscular arms over her chest. "Alex, it's not what it sounds like."

"Oh?" The red headed woman asked emotionlessly, though Xena could see the pain in the woman's midnight blue eyes.

"Alex, I, I," Xena stuttered, her mouth opening and closing as she tried to find the words to explain to her lover.

"Save it," Alexandria replied, raising her hands as if to ward off an attack. She blinked her eyes rapidly, willing the tears not to fall. She had planned this, but it still hurt more than she could have imagined. "It's okay, Xena. I understand, but I need to leave now, okay?"

Xena watched in horror as Alexandria turned away from her, pulling the robe she was wearing tightly around her body as she hurriedly made her way to the door. This couldn't be happening. How had she so quickly ruined another relationship? How had she betrayed this woman that loved her so much, when she swore she never would? She was supposed to have changed! She was supposed to have given up her old ways. She wasn't able to for Gabrielle two years ago and she lost her. She wasn't about to let that happen again.

"Alex, wait!" She said, climbing from her cot and following the red headed woman to the door. She resisted the urge to flinch when Alexandria turned her head and looked at her through pain filled eyes. "Alexandria, I'm sorry. I need to be honest with you. I thought when I heard you come in here that you were Gabrielle, because earlier this evening, she visited me to say goodnight."

"Something happened," Alexandria said softly, more of a statement than a question.

"We kissed."

Alexandria turned away from her lover, her heart shattering in her chest. _By the Gods, she does still love her. _She closed her eyes, forcing herself to remain calm despite the heartbreaking sadness and anger rising inside of her. She had planned this. She had planned to break her own heart so that Xena could truly be happy. A small part of her though, had hoped that maybe Xena had moved on from Gabrielle and loved her now instead.

"I can't do this again," Alexandria whispered, her voice trembling. "I can't watch you fall into someone else's arms again. I love you, Xena, I always will, but I need to go."

"Please," Xena pleaded, reaching out to grab Alexandria's hand as it reached for the door. "Alexandria, don't do this. I love you."

"No, you don't!" The red headed woman growled, turning around to face her lover. Her midnight blue eyes blazed with anger as she ripped her hand from Xena's grasp. "Stop lying to me, Xena, and stop lying to yourself! You don't love me. You want to love me because it hurts less than loving Gabrielle. But that's what love is! It hurts, but at the end of the day, it's worth it. You can't turn to someone else when things get hard. You need to stop running away, Xena. Gabrielle loves you, she has never stopped loving you. You're just to scared of getting hurt again to realise that you still love her too."

"Alexandria, I made a mistake, that's all it was. It was a mistake," Xena said softly, her eyes pleading with her lover to believe her, while her heart screamed that she was a liar. "Please, don't leave. We can work this out, I know we can. We have to work this out, because I'm not ready to lose you. Stay with me tonight. Stay with me and tomorrow, we can talk about this. Stay with me, please."

Alexandria gazed into her lover's ocean blue eyes, considering the woman's words. Her mind was begging her to turn away. _Don't listen to this, Alexandria. It will only hurt more if you stay. Just turn away and leave. Leave and don't look back. _But as her mind pleaded with her to go, her heart urged her to stay. Stay with the woman she loved more than her own life, even if it hurt. Because despite all the pain and heartache of staying with her tonight, only to maybe lose her tomorrow, it would hurt more to walk away now.

"Okay," Alexandria whispered, her voice barely audible over the screaming in her head. She watched as Xena breathed a sigh of relief before pulling the red headed woman into her strong embrace.

"Thank you," Xena said as she pulled her lover to her bed before lying down and pulling Alexandria into her arms. She wrapped her arms around her partner's waist, pulling her back against her chest as she buried her hair in the woman's short red hair. "Thank you."

A few hours before dawn, Xena awoke once more as her hut door opened. She felt her heart ache in her chest as she pulled her lover closer to her before turning her eyes to the figure in her doorway. Pale blue met emerald green and Xena pleaded the woman with her eyes to leave. She could see the pain in Gabrielle's eyes as she looked down at her body, entwined with Alexandria's. She wanted to tell the bard that she was sorry but instead she turned away, burying her face once more in her lover's hair and inhaling her scent.

She felt her heart break as she heard the door close once more as Gabrielle left and quietly, she sobbed into her lover's dark red hair as she felt the other half of her soul leave with the bard.


	9. Chapter 9

_Authors Note: Hey guys! Another update for you. Sorry it's been so long, it's been a messy week. I've had so much feedback from the last chapter, and I appreciate all of it. A lot of comments about how everyone hate's Xena being with someone else, too. I just want to remind you guys, this story is calling Turning Tables for a reason. I Will Be, was a story about Xena being unfaithful and the consequences. This is a story about the tables turning, and the consequences of Gabrielle not staying with Xena. And remember, when do I ever make my stories easy on you guys? This chapter will show you more of what I mean. I really do love all the comments though, and I hope they continue you. Again, if you want to send me an email, it is jacklavigne13 hotmail .com_

_Enjoy!_

**Turning Tables**

**Chapter Nine**

Her heart was breaking, shattering in her chest with every step she took. She felt hollow, like a part of her soul was missing. It is missing, Gabrielle thought to herself miserably. It's back in that hut with Xena, with Xena and Alexandria. That had not been what she had expected to see when she crept into her ex lover's hut. What she had expected was a night like the one the two women shared over two years ago, but with a different ending. This time, she wouldn't walk away. This time, her and Xena would be together and stay together. They would be a family again and Xena would love her and only her. It had not gone the way she had planned.

_It is what you should have expected though. Xena is with Alexandria now, so Alexandria should be in Xena's hut. Touching her body and kissing her lips. In her bed. In her arms. _

_Where I should be, damn it. _

Why did she walk away? Why didn't she just stay and talk to Xena? They could have worked things out and it would be her in Xena's arms. She knew why she had left, because the warrior had cheated on her, but she didn't even care about that anymore. How had she let two years pass without even talking to her soulmate? All she needed to do was take one short trip or write one letter. Instead, she stayed away, unable to face the woman that held the other half of her soul. Why? Because of Xena being unfaithful? No. Because she was a coward. Because she was too scared to get hurt again.

_How pathetic is it that now, I would bear the most excruciating pain, just to be in her arms again. I would die a million times for just one more chance. Why didn't I just stay? Gods, why?_

Gabrielle felt lost. Ever since she had kissed the warrior in her hut, she'd been planning to return as quickly as possibly for more of the dark haired woman. She hated herself for it, knowing that despite Alexandria's words, the woman would be hurt by Xena's betrayl. But Gabrielle wanted Xena so desperately, more than she had been willing to admit. It wasn't under the circumstances she had hoped for, but she found herself unable to stop, despite the fact that Xena had a partner. She needed the warrior. She loved her.

"Stop it," Gabrielle whispered to herself in disgust. She couldn't believe the things that she was thinking of. She had left Xena for being unfaithful and here she was now, wanting the woman to be unfaithful to her new partner, for her. And even worse, Gabrielle was being unfaithful to the naked woman she had left in her bed.

_By the Gods, what am I doing?_

She shook her head as she reached the door of her hut before entering quietly. She gazed at the woman bathed in moonlight sleeping peacefully in her bed. She couldn't deny the woman's remarkable likeness to her ex lover. The dark hair, the high cheek bones, the ocean blue eyes, though, not as blue eyes Xena's.

_Who are you kidding. She could never compare to Xena._

No matter how beautiful the woman was or how kind and devoted, she would never be Xena. She would never make the bard's heart race with excitement or make her skin flush with overwhelming desire. This woman wasn't her soulmate, she was a replacement. Gabrielle sighed as she removed her clothes before joining her lover in bed. She had never truly doubted her relationship with this woman until Xena had returned yesterday. She thought that maybe she was falling in love with her, but she had been proved wrong. She had just wanted to fall in love with her, if only to forget the woman who truly owned her heart.

"Gabrielle?" The bard heard the sleepy mumble from her lover and cringed. "Where did you go?"

"Just for a walk," Gabrielle replied softly, feeling tears well up in her eyes as the woman cuddled up against her back. She felt sick to her stomach as her lover wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close. She didn't want this, not from her.

"Oh, okay. Love you," The dark haired woman said before her breathing deepened once more as she fell back to sleep.

"I know," the bard whispered, closing her eyes as she let the tears fall.


	10. Chapter 10

_Hey guys. This is just a small in between chapter of the morning after. There is nothing big in here, it's just something small before leading you the big things to come. The next chapters are going to be the most exciting so I hope you all keep reading! If you want to email me to talk about the story or anything, my email is jacklavigne13 hotmail .com_

_Enjoy!_

**Turning Tables**

**Chapter Ten**

An hour after dawn, Xena reached across the bed, her hands searching for the warm body of her lover. Her long fingers grasped cold sheets and she sleepily opened her eyes, a frown on her face. The hut was quiet which meant that Alexandria must have left already, somehow without waking her. Images of the night before flashed through her mind and she rolled onto her back with a miserable groan. Alexandria always said that her life was much too complicated, but this was just ridiculous.

She honestly hadn't expected any of this when she decided to visit the Amazon village. What she had expected the least was Gabrielle's behavior. Gabrielle had left her after she had been unfaithful and yet now, the bard was throwing herself at the warrior, despite the fact she had a partner. She was confused to say at the least.

_The tables have turned, _she thought to herself with a sad smile. For once, she was trying to be faithful and it was Gabrielle who wasn't. To make matters worse, she knew that Gabrielle had her own lover, though Xena couldn't make herself care about the other woman's feelings. _Her feelings aren't my problem, Alexandria's are._

She realized in her sleepy morning haze that the room was still much too quiet. She rolled out of bed, cringing as her warm feet touched the cold floor before moving over to her daughter's cot only to find more cold sheets. She assumed that Alexandria must have taken Eve when she left this morning, probably to feed the always hungry child.

She was loathe to leave the safety of her hut, not looking forward to seeing her lover or the Amazon Queen. She could already hear the Amazon's outside, readying the village for the festival she had travelled to the Amazon Nation for. She almost regretted the visit now. If she was home right now, she'd still be in bed, curled around Alexandria. There would be no fighting, no complications; no blonde bard's to make her doubt her relationship. There would only be her and her family.

With a sigh, she changed into her leathers and left the hut, walking out into the cool morning air. She glanced around the village, catching the eyes of many women she had met in her previous visits over the years. Her pale blue orbs eventually caught a flash of dark red hair near the dining hall. She smiled briefly as she looked at her lover, Eve sitting happily on Alexandria's shoulders. The smile disappeared as she realized who her companion was talking to.

_This is not how I wanted to start my morning, _Xena thought angrily, watching as Alexandria laughed loudly at something Gabrielle said. How could they both act like nothing had happened? She wasn't a fool. She knew that Alexandria had been awake last night when Gabrielle crept into her hut. She had felt the almost unnoticeable tensing of the red headed woman's body as the door creaked open. She had also seen the look of heartbreak that flashed across Gabrielle's face. And yet, here they were, laughing like last night never happened.

"Hey Xena!" The dark haired woman turned at the sound of her name to face Solari who was walking towards her. "Turning into a late riser with old age?"

Xena fought the urge to snarl at the Amazon, pushing down her bad mood as Solari came to stand beside her. Her warrior mask fell firmly into place despite the emotions raging inside of her. "I had a late night."

"I can imagine," Solari replied, following Xena gaze to the two women outside of the dining hall. She patted the warrior on the arm sympathetically, guessing that Xena's late night was not due to pleasurable activities. "A group of us are going hunting today for tonight's party. Did you want to join us?"

Xena felt relief flood through her body, grateful that she didn't have to spend the day in the village. She nodded at the Amazon, giving her a small smile which was returned warmly. Solari told her to meet them at the village gates in a candlemark before walking away to pack her gear. With a small sigh, Xena straightened her shoulders before walking over to where her lover and the Amazon Queen stood.

They both looked up as she approached, their eyes full of emotion. To her surprise, it was Alexandria that looked away from her, unable to hold her gaze, instead of Gabrielle. The bard just smiled warmly, patting her arm gently as she stood before them.

"Good morning," Xena managed to croak out, opening her arms and picking up her daughter as Eve reached out to her. She kissed the toddler on her forehead as Eve cuddled up to her, wrapping her tiny arms around the warrior's neck.

"Morning," Gabrielle replied, while Alexandria only nodded. Xena tried to catch her lover's eyes but to no avail, leaving the warrior confused. "Did Solari invite you to go hunting?"

"Yeah, she did," Xena turned back to the bard, giving her a small smile. "I'm leaving in a candlemark. Alexandria, do you mind looking after Eve while I'm gone?"

"Of course," Alexandria smiled, though it didn't meet her eyes. Xena frowned, wondering what her lover was thinking about. _She can't even look me in the eye. _

"Okay," Xena pressed another kiss to her daughter's head before handing her back to Alexandria. Their hands touched and she felt her partner flinch away from her as she pulled back. Her heart ached in her chest as she looked at Alexandria holding her daughter. She would fix this tonight, at the festival, if it was the last thing she did. "I'm going to go and get ready. I'll see you both tonight."

Without waiting for an answer, she turned on her heel and walked back to her hut, her head swirled with thoughts as she wondered why her lover was so upset with her.

Alexandria let out a small sigh of relief as she watched Xena return to her hut. She had been unable to fall back asleep after she heard Gabrielle sneak into their hut the night before. She had spent the few candlemarks before dawn thinking deeply about the situation they were in. As the night faded into day, she finally made her decision. She knew it would hurt the warrior and herself even more, but there was no other way. They couldn't continue with this charade, it would only end up hurting everyone even more.

She watched as the door closed behind her lover, already feeling the cracks start to form in her already fragile heart. Tonight, she would make things right, if it was the last thing she did.


	11. Chapter 11

**Turning Tables**

**Chapter Eleven**

The day passed quickly in the dark forest surrounding the village. Xena enjoyed hunting with Amazon's, not realizing how much she had honestly missed these women over the past two years. As she wandered back to the village, holding a large deer over her shoulders, Xena felt the tension slowly seep back into her muscles. She had almost forgotten her problem in the shadows of the forest, focusing on the hunt. How did she get herself into this mess and what in Ares name was she going to do? Without realizing it, she began to fall behind the group of Amazon's, lost in thought. She started when she felt a hand rest on her arm and turned to face Solari who was looking at her in concern.

"You alright, Xena?"

The dark haired woman opened her mouth to speak before closing it and sighing. "No, not really."

"Has this got to do with the Queen?" Solari asked, looking at her friend sympathetically. She had been on guard duty in the village the night before and had witnessed Gabrielle sneaking into the warrior's hut, several candlemark's after Alexandria. She had seen the look of anguish on the Queen's face when she exited moments later, her shoulders slumped in defeat. Her own heart had broken for the blonde bard after hearing the woman speak constantly of Xena over the past two years, obviously still in love with her ex-lover.

"Yes," Xena whispered her voice barely audible over the crunching of leaves beneath her feet. "I don't know what to do."

The Amazon sighed, unsure of what to say to the warrior. Half of her wanted to hit Xena over the head and scream that she should be with the Queen. They were meant for each other, no matter what had happened in the past. The more logical part of her though could see the many complications of Xena's situation. The warrior already had a lover and so did Gabrielle. And even though they had barely been in the Amazon village for less than twenty four candlemarks, Solari had begun to like Alexandria.

"You need to follow your heart, Xena," Solari said finally, turning her head to gaze into sad blue eyes. "Stop thinking about all the consequences. This isn't a battle, you don't need to have a strategy or a plan of any sort. Think of your life ten seasons from now and who do you see by your side? Follow your heart, but do it quickly, because otherwise in ten years from now, you might find yourself alone."

She patted her friend on the arm before returning to the group of women in front of them, leaving the warrior to her thoughts.

Xena finally returned to the Amazon village with the rest of the hunting party as the sun started its journey below the horizon. She took the deer she'd caught to the kitchen before making her way to her hut to get ready for tonight's festivities. She was tying up the laces of her boots when she heard the Amazon drums start a slow rhythm, signaling the beginning of the party. She left her hut and made her way to the village center to find several large bonfires surrounding by scantily clad women. She spotted her lover quickly, dancing with Eve around the biggest bonfire with many other Amazon's. She grinned as she watched Alexandria move around the fire, Eve on her hip laughing happily. Her smile turned into a scowl as she noticed several other Amazon's eyeing her lover appreciatively.

Her eyes roamed over the faces of the Amazon women before landing on a large podium. There were three chairs on the stage and Gabrielle was sitting in the middle on a large thrown, Solari to her left and Eponin to her right. Gabrielle was also watching Alexandria and Eve, a bittersweet smile on her face. She looked beautiful in her Queen's leathers, though there wasn't much leather to be honest. Xena found herself admiring her ex lover's exposed skin. She was wearing a tight tan leather wrap around her breasts, leaving her toned arms and muscular abdomen bare. And a tan leather loincloth that covered her most private of part leaving her legs on show for the many appreciate Amazon's. As she looked over the bard's body, her eyes raised to the woman's face only to have her gaze returned. She blushed, looking away as Gabrielle looked at her, a small smug smile playing her lips and one blonde brow raised.

She grabbed a mug of strong Amazon ale from a woman walking past her and took a few gulps. Her heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest. She looked back towards Alexandria to find the woman had already spotted her and was making her way through the crowd of Amazon's towards her.

"Hey," Alexandria smiled, swapping Eve for the mug of ale.

"Hey," Xena replied as she took her daughter into her arms and bounced her gently on her hip. "You two been having fun?"

"We dance!" Eve giggled as she threw her arms around her mother's neck. "You dance, Mommy?"

"I'll dance with you, sweetheart," Xena grinned, her daughter's smile infectious and warming her to her core.

"Xena," Alexandria said softly, gaining her lover's attention. "We need to talk."

Xena's smile faltered as she looked at her partner, taking in the red headed woman's serious expression. She had come to hate those four words, always bringing something she didn't want to hear. "Can it wait a little while?"

Alexandria heard the pleading note in the warrior's voice and her resolve broke a bit. With a soft sigh, she nodded, plastering a fake smile on her face. "Of course."

Xena smiled gratefully at her lover before turning to her daughter with a forced smile. "Let's dance, Evie."

Her daughter clapped happily as Xena leaned over to give her lover a kiss, her heart breaking as Alexandria turned her head at the last moment, letting Xena's lips brush against her cheek. The warrior smiled slightly at her partner before straightening her shoulders and walking towards the dancing Amazon's. Lost in her own thoughts and determined to have a good time with her daughter, she didn't see Alexandria's pained expression as she walked away.


	12. Chapter 12

**Turning Tables**

**Chapter Twelve**

"Xena."

Xena felt her shoulder muscles tense with the tone in which her name was spoken. She took her time in turning around, holding her daughter against her chest as the young girl dozed peacefully on her shoulder. They had danced for hours as Xena worked out all the extra energy she had built up over the past few days. She had skillfully been avoiding her partner, always in conversation with the Amazons or hiding in the shadows around the edge of the party until now. She slowly put the mug of ale she had picked up from the table back down and turned to face her lover, her eyes wide and innocent. Her smile was returned with a frustrated growl as Alexandria grabbed her arm and pulled her back into the shadows where she had been previously hiding.

"You've been avoiding me," Alexandria stated as she let her hand fall from her companion's arm, her eyes hard as she stared at her lover.

"Can you blame me?" Xena replied softly, gently rubbing her daughters back. Whether to soothe Eve in her sleep or to soothe herself, she didn't know.

"No, I guess I can't," Alexandria said, her voice equally soft. She fiddled nervously with her hands as she avoided looking Xena in the eye. She knew she would be lost if she looked up into those baby blues before she could say what needed to be said. "I've been meaning to talk to you ever since last night."

"Are you sure we need to talk about it right now, Alexandria?" Xena said, her voice taking on a pleading note. She knew what was coming, no matter how hard Alexandria had tried to hide it from her. She had seen it last night in her lover's eyes. "Can't we just wait until all this is over? We can talk about it when we get home."

"That's just it, Xena. I'm not coming home."

Xena felt her body go rigid as she stared at Alexandria who finally met her eyes. She could see the end of everything in those midnight blue orbs. Her warrior mask fell firmly into place as she walked a few feet away from her lover, gently putting Eve down on the floor with the warrior's cloak wrapped around her. She stood up slowly, crossing her arms over her chest as she tried to straighten out her thoughts. She hadn't expected this. She knew that their time as lovers was coming to an end, had seen it ever since they entered this village. But Alexandria didn't want to return to Amphipolis with her? She kicked herself mentally, asking herself why Alexandria would want to go home with her if they weren't together. She'd been foolish to lie to herself for so long to think that Alexandria would want to be with her.

"This is it then?" She said softly, more a statement than a question.

"Yeah, I guess so," Alexandria whispered, her voice barely audible over the breaking of her heart. She hated this. She wanted nothing more than to tell Xena how much she loved her and just leave this place behind with the dark haired woman but she couldn't. It wouldn't be right or fair to either of them. A clean break is what they both needed so they could move on. Xena would be with the woman she truly loved and who knows, maybe Alexandria would find someone of her own. Someone that would give her their heart completely, not only the broken pieces that had been left behind.

"Will you stay for a few more days?" Xena asked as she turned around.

"No, I'm leaving now, actually. My bags are already packed."

"You can't leave now," Xena argued, her voice breaking. "It's too dark to travel. Wait until tomorrow at least and I can walk you to the border or anywhere you want to go."

"I'll be fine, Xena. We both know I'm completely capable of taking care of myself. I'll only travel for a few candlemarks and then I'll make camp before it gets too late."

Xena swallowed hard as she attempted to dislodge the lump in her throat. It was happening all over again and she was powerless to stop it. She was losing her lover, her bestfriend and the closest thing her daughter had to a second mother.

"Alexandria," Xena whispered as she walked towards the red headed woman, making one last attempt. "You don't have to do this. We can work it out. I lov-"

"Don't," Alexandria cut her off, covering Xena's lips with her fingers. She bit her lip and fought back tears as she gazed at her now ex lover sadly. "Please don't make this harder for me than it already is, Xena. You know I don't want this. I don't want to leave you or Eve. I love you both so much. You're my family. But I can't stay, not if your heart belongs to someone else. I'll come to Amphipolis and visit you, I promise. But right now, I have to go."

Xena just gazed at her with pain filled eyes before slowly nodding her head. Alexandria removed her fingers from the dark haired beauty's lips on to replace them with her own. The kiss was soft and loving and Alexandria had to force herself to pull away before she changed her mind.

"Tell Eve that I love her and I'll come to see her soon, okay?" Alexandria said softly as she caressed Xena's cheek. Xena could only nod, her throat too tight with emotion to speak. With one last sad smile, Alexandria turned away from the woman that held her heart and walked swiftly back to her hut, her heart broken.

Xena watched her until she disappeared before falling to her knees and finally letting the tears fall.


	13. Chapter 13

_Authors Note: I'm going to surprise you guys and tell you that this is the last chapter of this story. I'm not going to write much here because I don't want to give anything away. I just wanted to thank you for all the support I've gotten from this story. It's been amazing and I hope you've all enjoyed it. If you want to email me, my email is jacklavigne13 hotmail .com_

**Turning Tables**

**Chapter Thirteen**

She sat on the ground for what felt like hours but in truth was only a few minutes. Her heart felt like it had been visited by a tornado, destroying everything in it's path. She had seen this coming but it didn't make it any easier. Once again, it was all her fault. She'd broken another woman's heart and caused them to leave. She stood up slowly, brushing the tears from her cheeks before walking over to where her daughter slept. She picked Eve up and walked through the shadows back to her hut, caring not about the emerald green eyes that followed her. In moments she was back in her room, putting Eve down in her cot and pulling the blankets tightly around her daughter.

"What are we going to do now, sweetheart?" She whispered softly to the child, causing more tears to splash down her cheeks. "What are we gonna do?"

She sat back on her heels, gazing at her daughter and taking strength from the fact that she still had Eve, no matter what. Alexandria might have left her, but she'd always have her daughter. And Alexandria said she'd be back to visit them. A small flame of hope at that thought caught a light inside her chest but quickly fizzled out. Alexandria would never take her back, not now. She'd hurt the woman too many times. How did I get myself into this situation again? Xena thought to herself miserably.

_You know how, _a voice said softly in the back of her mind. _You know in your heart that you could have never loved Alexandria, at least not like you love Gabrielle. You couldn't resist your soulmate, no matter how much you tried. _

Alexandria deserved better. She should never have tried to fool herself or the red headed woman into thinking that she could love her completely. Her heart belonged to the Amazon Queen.

_That doesn't mean what I did was right, _Xena thought to herself in disgust. _I was supposed to have changed. No more cheating. No more sleeping with anyone else but my partner, even with Gabrielle. _

Even though she hadn't made love to the bard, she had still betrayed Alexandria by kissing her. Though, Gabrielle made no move to stop her and she was sure things would have gone further if she hadn't been able to control herself. Gabrielle wouldn't have stopped her. Gabrielle, the woman that left her for her infidelity. She felt anger bubble in her chest at her train of thought. Gabrielle was not as innocent as she pretended to be.

She heard the door creak open behind her followed by soft footsteps. She recognised the person in her hut immediately and felt an immesurable amount of rage build inside of her as she quickly stood and spun around before pinning the woman against the wall.

She breathed heavily, her eyes wild as she pinned Gabrielle between her body and the wall, her forearm resting against the bards chest. Gabrielle looked up at her, her green eyes wide with surprise and a tinge of fear.

"What are you doing here?" Xena growled between clenched teeth. "Come to gloat?"

"No, Xena, of course not," Gabrielle gasped, pushing against the forearm that was crushing her chest. "I came to see if you were okay. Now, let me go!"

Gabrielle shoved Xena off of her and took a deep breath to calm herself as she looked at the dark haired woman. She had assumped quickly that Alexandria had left her ex lover when she saw the red headed woman leave her hut moments after Xena entered her own. She'd seen the bags that Alexandria held in her hands as she made her way to the stables and had quickly sought out Xena to check up on her.

"Did you know?" Xena whispered softly, turning away from the bard. "Did she tell you she was leaving me?"

"No, Xena, she didn't tell me anything."

"But you knew she would leave me."

"After last night, yes," Gabrielle replied softly, her heart aching for the woman she loved. Xena didn't deserve this. She knew that the woman had made some mistakes in her life but she still deserved more than this. "Xena, I'm so sorry."

"You're sorry?" Xena laughed bitterly, whirling to face her ex lover with angry eyes. "That is the biggest lie you've ever told, Gabrielle."

"That's not fair, Xena," Gabrielle said angrily as she stepped closer to the warrior. "I never wanted this to happen."

"Then why did you call me here?" Xena shouted, stepping forward until her face was inches away from the bard's. "Why did you send me that letter after two years? Everything was finally starting to be okay for me again."

"Because nothing was okay for me," Gabrielle whispered brokenly as she looked up at the woman she knew was her soulmate. They gazed at each other in silence for several moments as Xena's eyes started to soften.

"Then maybe you should have never left," She said quietly, her voice almost inaudible as she started to turn away from her ex lover.

Gabrielle felt her heart break in her chest as Xena turned away from her. She knew that she was rapidly losing this battle. Didn't Xena understand that she had made a mistake? Couldn't she see that she had regretted walking away every single day that they were apart? She had waited two fucking years for this and if it was going to end now, she decided, then she would at least give it everything she had.

"Hey," Gabrielle growled, grabbing Xena's arm and turning her back around. She caught a flash of surprise in the pale blue eyes just before she tangled her fingers in the woman's dark hair and kissed her passionately. She felt Xena resist her but it only caused Gabrielle to tighten her grip on the warrior and pull them even closer together.

Xena was in shock, her body completely rigid as Gabrielle's lips crushed against hers. This was wrong and she knew it but as she tried to pull away, Gabrielle only pressed closer to her, refusing to release her grip. Before she knew it, she found herself melting into the kiss and returning it with equal fury. Her hands gripped Gabrielle's hips tightly, melding their bodies together in the most delicious way as she moaned into the kiss.

Gabrielle decided not to waste any time as her hands hurriedly started to remove Xena's clothing. She didn't want to give the dark haired woman any time to think about what was happening. She just wanted to love her. She pushed the straps off of Xena's shoulders, caressing each new piece of skin that was revealed as she pulled the leather battledress down Xena's body. She broke the kiss and attached her lips to her lover's neck, thanking the Gods that Xena decided not to wear anything under her clothes tonight, not even her underwear.

Xena moaned loudly, her heart pounding to the rhythm of the drums that were still beating outside. Her head dropped back and she felt Gabrielle's lips caress her throat and all her thoughts slipped from her mind. She couldn't think, she could only feel the hands that roamed lovingly over her skin, touching all of her most sensitive places. She felt herself slowly being pushed backwards until the backs of her legs hit the edge of the bed. She collapsed onto the mattress with Gabrielle in her arms, their bodies grinding together sensually.

Xena almost cried out as Gabrielle's lips left her skin only to reattach themselves to her own. Her hands found their way back to Gabrielle's hips, quickly undoing the ties that held the loincloth around her waist. She pulled the material off her lover before gripping her hips once more and moaning as Gabrielle's hot center made contact her thigh, coating it in her juices.

"Oh, fuck," Gabrielle gasped as she pulled back from the kiss to look down into Xena's lust filled eyes. This hadn't been her plan for things to move so quickly, but it felt right nonetheless. She felt complete as she pushed her own thigh between her partner's legs, thrusting against her as Xena pulled her hips back and forth over her thigh.

"Gabrielle," Xena growled as their bodies thrust together furiously. Despite the roughness of their fucking, she felt loved as she looked up into Gabrielle's eyes. The moans that were slipping from her lovers lips only served to excite her more. She could feel Gabrielle's thigh thrusting against her pussy roughly, setting her whole body on fire as she raised her hips to meet her. She could faintly hear a voice in the back of her head telling her that this was all wrong but her heart said it was right and her body told her it felt too good to stop now. She ran one hand up Gabrielle's muscular back, her short fingernails dragging across the soft skin causing her soulmate to moan softly and the thrusting against her thigh to increase in speed. She tangled her fingers in blonde hair and pulled Gabrielle's head down for a searing kiss that left them both breathless.

It wasn't long before Xena felt herself falling over the edge and into climax. Her whole body shook as her mouth opened in a silent scream, her hands gripping her lovers hips tightly. Gabrielle whimpered as she gazed at her soulmate in the throes of passion before her back arched as her own orgasm overwhelmed her.

"By the Gods," Gabrielle gasped as she collapsed onto her lover's chest, listening to the erratic heartbeat beneath her ear. Xena remained quiet as she used her last bit of strength to pull herself and her partner further up the bed before wrapping the blankets around their sweat soaked bodies.

Xena held Gabrielle until she fell asleep, her breathing deep and even against her chest before she closed her own eyes.

_By the Gods, what am I doing?_

Gabrielle opened one eye and stared into darkness as she wondered what had woken her up. She stretched on the soft sheets of the bed before reaching out for her lover. Nothing. _Maybe she went for a walk to think. It's been a pretty crazy night. _She frowned as she slowly sat up in bed, realising it was much too quiet. The only thing she could hear was her own breathing and the drunken stumbling footsteps of the Amazon's still partying outside. She leant over and lit the candle by the side of the bed and glanced around as a sob caught in her throat. All Xena's things were gone and Eve's cot was empty. She was alone, again.

Xena looked back at the Amazon village as she held Eve tightly against her chest with one arm and Argo's reins in her free hand. It was a few candlemarks before dawn and she knew what she was doing was wrong. She shouldn't have left Gabrielle, at least not with speaking to her first but honestly, she didn't know what to say. She had felt complete as she laid in bed with the bard but she had felt wrong. Everything was all wrong. Nothing had gone to plan, not that she had much of a plan to begin with, but she was sure this wasn't how it was supposed to be. If her and Gabrielle were going to be together, it needed to be on a clean slate. They both had things that they needed to work out and Xena didn't know if she could work them out in this lifetime.

Still, she knew that to leave like this was cowardly. She knew it would hurt Gabrielle. She sighed softly as she turned away from the village and where her soulmate was and started walking down the dirt path. It was the same scene from two years ago, she mused. Except it was her running away in the night and not Gabrielle.

_Oh, how the tables have turned. _

**The End. **

_Authors Note: I know you all hate me right now, but there will be another sequel after this. I'm still putting it all together at the moment so it might take a week or so to start, but I promise it will be worth it. More twists and turns and our two favourite girls. Thank you all for sticking with me and I will make the ending of this story up to you. That's a promise. Until next time._


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